Proverbs 2

1 My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and wilt hide my commandments with thee,

2 if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

That thy ear may hearken to wisdom: Incline thy heart to know prudence:

3 if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,

For if thou shalt call for wisdom, and incline thy heart to prudence:

4 if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,

If thou shalt seek her as money, and shalt dig for her as for a treasure:

5 then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and shalt find the knowledge of God.

6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Because the Lord giveth wisdom: and out of his mouth cometh prudence and knowledge.

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,

He will keep the salvation of the righteous, and protect them that walk in simplicity.

8 to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.

Keeping the paths of justice, and guarding the ways of saints.

9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.

Then shalt thou understand justice, and judgment, and equity, and every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.

If wisdom shall enter into thy heart, and knowledge please thy soul:

11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,

Counsel shall keep thee, and prudence shall preserve thee,

12 to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,

That thou mayst be delivered from the evil way, and from the man that speaketh perverse things:

13 from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

Who leave the right way, and walk by dark ways:

14 from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

Who are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in most wicked things:

15 whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.

Whose ways are perverse, and their steps infamous.

16 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words

That thou mayst be delivered from the strange women, and from the stranger, who softeneth her words:

17 who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

And forsaketh the guide of her youth,

18 For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.

And hath forgotten the covenant of her God: for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths to hell. (questioned)

19 None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.

None that go in unto her shall return again, neither shall they take hold of the paths of life,

20 So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.

That thou mayst walk in a good way: and mayst keep the paths of the just.

21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

For they that are upright shall dwell in the earth, and the simple shall continue in it.

22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.

But the wicked shall be destroyed from the earth: and they that do unjustly shall be taken away from it.